Peyer's patches are highly functionalized lymphoid follicle tissues present in the upper intestinal tract, and are one of inductive tissues serving as an important starting point for the production of antigen-specific secretory IgA and the expression of immunological tolerance. It is known that Peyer's patches play an important role in an immune system that is related to biophylaxis and called intestinal immunity. For example, because of the homing phenomenon, the lymphocytes of Peyer's patches are constantly recruited to the tissues of other local mucosal immune systems and systemic immune systems and function to transmit the immunological information.
As an example of Peyer's patch immune function modulating activity, the production of bone marrow cell growth promoting factors (e.g., cytokines) in Peyer's patches can be mentioned. As such a bone marrow cell growth promoting factor, for example, IL-6, which is a cytokine produced by immunocompetent cells in Peyer's patches, is known (Non-Patent Literature 1).
Meanwhile, it has already been reported that polysaccharides obtained from a rhizome of Atractylodes lancea DC and polysaccharides obtained from an aerial part of Astragalus mongholics Bunge have Peyer's patch immune function modulating activity (Non-Patent Literature 2).
In addition, there are known a preventive/therapeutic agent for infection, a vaccine adjuvant agent, and a preventive/therapeutic agent for diseases in humans or animals caused by Coccidia, which contain as an active ingredient an extract derived from sugar cane that is a gramineous plant (Patent Literatures 1 and 2).